Back from cozy Christmas holiday in Denmark and straight into busy-everyday-working-life in Shanghai. Trying to fit aaaall these hobbies, duties & errands into a tight schedule - and staying healthy at the same time. Not always easy! Though Shanghai has a lot of healthy food options when eating out, I find it so difficult to make healthy choices if I need a quick to-go breakfast on my way to work or if I don't want to eat local noodles for lunch - again.

As my mornings are super busy with yoga classes, getting ready and getting to work in good time (I like being in good time) and as my work is located in a super local neighborhood I often find myself in this situation. In order to not having to rely on lemon water, bananas & lattes to fuel the start of my day and to avoid turning into a noodle (!) I have started to plan my healthy habits a little bit better.

If I want to eat more healthy during a busy working week and on-the-go, I find that weekend-planning for that week is vital. It makes it easier, cheaper & much more enjoyable!

My sister's lentil patties were the first thing that came to my mind when I started thinking about ideas for yummy food that can be cooked, frozen and eaten on the go. In Denmark we always have these portion-packed in our freezer and when attending family dinners where the main course is often meat me and my sister bring lentil patties. These yummy treats are packed with natural protein from lentils & nuts and they go so well with most sides. After they've been frozen they can be eaten cold as a snack or bake them in the oven and serve for dinner as a meat replacement.

This time I made a biiiig portion and I experimented with using my bread forms to make lentil pates - that turned out to be such a good solution! You avoid having to fry so many individual patties - just bake the lentil-pate in a form for approx 1 hour or until golden. Cut out in slices and freeze for later use. I also froze 7 bags of lentil patties after this cooking session. Perfect to have vegan topping for salad, vegan filling for wraps or a quick vegan snack for next week's busyness!

Yuuuum!

Ingredients

400 g red lentils

2 carrots, grated

2 big onions, grated

50 g nuts, roasted and chopped

Fresh herbs (coriander or basil, dry can be used as well)

Chili

3 cloves of garlic

50g of oats

Seasoning

1-2 cubes of vegetable stock

Coconut oil for frying

Directions

Cook the red lentils in filtered water for approximately 30 minutes or until they have turned into a thick liquid mass. Pour out excess water and cool down so it's not boiling. Grate carrot, onion and mix with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, I use a blender or food processor. Mix everything together and add oats until the mass is thick and not too wet.

Fry small patties in olive oil at low heat. You need to keep them small to avoid a mess and use heaps of olive oil (natural oil mmmm). If you prefer you can use a kitchen towel to dry the patties from excess oil after frying. Don't worry if they seem too soft and uncoocked when you take them off the pan, they will set when they cool down. And as they are both meat & egg free, there is really nothing to worry about (: